This invention relates to providing a medical system assisting more efficient and safer performance of medical procedures. More particularly, this invention concerns a medical system comprising apparatus and methods for improved irrigation and lavage in wound management. With respect to medical irrigation procedures, when a patient presents with a wound, it is often desirable to initially irrigate the wound using a cleansing solution, such as normal saline. Irrigation in wound management has the beneficial effect of purging foreign bacteria, debris, and/or chemicals from damaged tissues of the wound bed, to diminish the potential of infection and other complications. When using large volumes of fluid, there is an increased likelihood for the contamination of adjacent tissues and surfaces, splashing of biological and chemical contaminants onto a health care provider, and/or drenching the patient with fluid. This is undesirable as the risk of spreading of disease is heightened and there are undesirable effects associated with excessive wetting of a patient (for example, trauma patients with multiple wounds might become hypothermic from large amounts of irrigation fluid evaporating on their bodies). These inherent disadvantages may decrease the incentive for a caregiver, such as a physician, to use optimal volumes of irrigation fluid; and therefore increasing the risk of later complications.
The time necessary to prepare the irrigation and lavage procedures can also directly impinge on patient care. The use of overly complex irrigation apparatus typically results in delays to treatment, especially when preparation of such apparatus requires assembly and manipulation of multiple elements. The most commonly used conventional devices in ocular irrigation are difficult to place, painful, and not tolerated well by most patients. Conventional ocular devices are difficult to place in children, who are often frightened by the direct eye contact required by such devices. Conventional devices are difficult to place in field, require anesthetic drops, takes a lot of precious time to set up while injury (e.g., a chemical splash injury) continues to damage eye tissues. Furthermore, conventional ocular devices require training to administer properly, can cause eye injury if not used properly, and are not appropriate for washing out particulate contamination as the device may grind the particulates against the cornea.
Conversely, improvised puncturing of fluid bottles, as sometimes performed by emergency care clinicians, provides little or no spray control or protection from splashing and secondary contamination; and such improvised puncturing of fluid bottles increases the risk of a needle-stick injury. In addition, conventional irrigation and lavage procedures can sometimes cause additional trauma in delicate tissues if the fluid is applied forcefully and directly on the wound.